


Volume 0: Prologue

by SunapiThnati



Series: Pokemon Go: Connections [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon GO
Genre: Friendship, Gen, High School, Mentor/Protégé, Pokemon Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-05-06 23:11:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14658180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunapiThnati/pseuds/SunapiThnati
Summary: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pokemon Go.





	1. Slugma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Willow meets his assistants for the first time.

Ideally, Willow would have taken a car, but today was different.

He sullied down the sidewalk as a million thoughts ran through his head.  _ What if I get lost and have to ask for directions? What if I stutter? What if I picked the wrong people? _

And worst of all……

“What if they….don’t need me?”

Oak tilted his head and gave him a strange look. “Vee?”

Willow shook his head. “No, you’re right. Them not needing me  _ is _ the point. My work in this field has been extensive, but like those before me, I can’t keep doing this forever, Oak. Now it’s my job to make sure the next generation can follow in my footsteps”.

He glanced at his phone. It should be another block or so. Best not to keep them waiting.

He darted to the edge of the sidewalk suddenly as a group of kids chased after a Growlithe. They laughed and shouted as they pursued the bright orange dog. 

He smiled faintly. Things had changed quite a bit since Pokemon first started appearing around the world. And yet...fundamentally things were still the same...in a sense. Pokemon were treated like animals in some regard, but above all they were treated like friends, allies,  _ partners _ .

“Fellow residents of Earth. Except they can breathe fire, conjure leaves, and we can’t.”

It was almost jarring how easily the initial chaos had died down once the environment and humanity had grown accustomed to these elemental beasts. And strangely enough they seemed fine with humans as well. Many of them seemed eager to take us on as partners, and we happily obliged. We hatched them, we trained them, we helped bring out their full potential and evolution.

Willow shook his head. He was getting too philosophical in his years.

He glanced up at the building he had arrived at. A bright purple sign lit up the entryway.

WELCOME TO SMOGON UNIVERSITY

He patted the enormous Koffing statue that greeted him at the entrance. An entire university, made for the next generations hoping to do exactly what he and his mentor had dedicated themselves to, only to a much higher degree and pace than Willow could have ever hoped to follow. As he waded through the sea of students wandering the halls, he caught a few snippets of conversations and lectures, though only about fifth of it made sense to him. 

The world of competitive pokemon training seemed to almost exist in its own separate bubble, forming entirely outside the influences that drew most other people to Pokemon. That was precisely why Willow intended to choose the students that would become his assistants from among the ranks of the finest the university had to offer. Their intense learning and training at this facility would provide the perfect perspective needed to help further his studies and one day pick up where he left off. And ideally they would provide guidance to new trainers with their own unique takes on Pokemon.

_ Or they could just help me deal with all these transfers. _

After wandering the halls he eventually found the classroom he was looking for. Sitting on the desks were just about the most bizzare and diverse group of students he had ever seen.

One was a silver haired girl at their desk studying intensely. The second was a yellow haired boy leaning back with his feet propped up and flipping through his phone, giggling like a madman. The last one…..

“Is that…...a Slugma?” Willow inquired.

The young girl with brown hair at end of the classroom was kneeling beside her desk. In front of her was the small molten slug, which she had been encouraging to move about. She looked up at him with the most intense and yet cheerful look on her face he had ever seen.

“Yes! I’ve been training him since I hatched him a few days ago!”

“You mean since  _ I _ hatched him” the yellow haired boy piped up, not even looking up from his phone.

“Yes, but I found the egg!”

Willow glanced around nervously. “Aren’t they supposed to be like, hotter than the surface of the sun? Isn’t it a bit dangerous to keep them around these wooden desks?”

The silver-haired girl adjusted her reading glasses. “No, that is its evolution Magcargo you are thinking of. While Slugma is quite hot, it is not hot enough to sustain its own temperature if it doesn’t keep moving. However, to answer your second question, you’re absolutely right; she’s not supposed to let it loose in here. She’s already set three classrooms ablaze.”

The little brown-haired girl stamped her foot angrily. “It’s not my fault the classrooms weren’t built to withstand the  _ fourth most common type of pokemon _ . Just one of the many things I hate about this place. The emphasis on “adapt to any situation” and “balancing the fight”  is just stupid. They won’t even give us access to pokemon until battle practice, and before that it’s nothing but simulated battles. Where’s the connection? Where’s the heart? What more of a way of there is there to connect to pokemon that to train them  _ personally _ , to have them fight by your side and claim victory because the two of you were able to understand each other’s limitations, strengths, everything!”

The yellow-haired boy sat up in his chair, suddenly interested. “Actually……she’s not wrong. This school is good for what the intentions were, but if ya ask me it’s desensitized us to pokemon and the relationships that we coulda made with them. Pokemon work best with humans ‘cause they rely on us ta raise them, and we work best with them ‘cause we rely on their protection. The most important connection to form with a pokemon is to be with them at the pinnacle of their conception, raising them from the ground up, molding them into what they want to be while they mold you into what you want to be?”

The silver haired girl closed her book. “I agree with my comrades. One can study hard and rely on knowledge all they want, as it is an essential component of battling proficiently. However, this does nothing for the advancement of the pokemon if you cannot consistently apply those skills, and help it grow stronger and evolve the way they wish to. Pokemon are incredibly fascinating in their ability to reach different stages of progression, showing us both a physical and mental display of growth that they so badly crave. Thus, they shouldn’t be shuttered about and treated as objects, but allowed to grow. In my opinion, the best method to connect to your pokemon than to be there every step of their development, helping them reach their true potential and unlocking the power that lays dormant within these powerful creatures?”

Willow stood there, absolutely speechless. Oak poked his cheek but he didn’t respond. Never in all his days had he heard such an eloquent outburst from a group of children. He had only gotten an inkling of what to expect when he had first read their essays. Now, standing before them, he realized that there was nothing on earth that could have prepared him for the next generations of pokemon researchers. In that moment he felt more proud than he had ever felt before, with a twinge of intimidation.

There was no doubt about it now. These were the kids he was looking for.

“W-Well spoken children! Absolutely beautiful! That is exactly the kind of thing I hope to learn about in my research on the Wonderful World of Pokemon!

“As you all know well know, I am Professor Willow. If I remember correctly, your names are Candela, Blanche, and Spark, correct?”

The brown haired girl jumped to her feet and smiled brightly. “Nice to finally meet you Professor! I’m Candela!”

The yellow haired boy gave him a thumbs-up. “Name’s Spark.”

The silver haired girl stood and bowed. “And I am Blanche.”

Willow beamed. “Spectacular! Oh and, this is Oak, my Eevee.”

Oak jumped down from Willow’s shoulder and purred softly as he stretched his legs and toes. He seemed relieved to finally get a chance to stand on terra firma once more.

Spark raised an eyebrow. “Oak? As in, Professor Oak?  _ The  _ Professor Oak?”

Blanche’s mouth twitched into a smile, but only for a second. “You named your Eevee after your mentor. How….Quaint.”

Candela squealed and stroked his soft brown fur. “I think it’s adorable! So now it’s like he’s always with you, wherever you go!”

Spark shook his head in exasperation. “Don’t expect me to name a Psyduck after you Professor.”

Willow laughed a hearty laugh. “I can tell I’m going to enjoy working with you three. Now come, it’s time I brought you to my lab to begin your orientation.”

The three kids grabbed their backpacks and clipped their pokeballs to their belts. The four of them left the classroom and arrived at the entrance to the school.

Blanche looked around in confusion. “Sir, where is your vehicle? The parking lot appears to be empty.”

“Um…..I walked here.”

The kids gaped at him.

“You WHAT???”

“Professor, isn’t the lab like, a billion kilometers from here?”

Willow’s face went red. “N-No! It’s only like…….10…..”

“You want us to walk 10 kilometers? Every day?”

“Well no, ideally I’ll pick you up after school and take you there”

“But not today?”

“Uhhh, today I figured we’d get a little exercise. Take out your favorite pokemon and have it walk with us if you’d like. The walking will give it more experience”

“How…..How does that even work...”

Willow huffed. “Guess we’d better start if we want to make it before dark.”


	2. Corsola

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fieldwork is...tedious

“OW!!!”

“Gah! Sorry Spark!”

“Candela, can ya please hold her still so we can get this over with?”

“I’m sorry but she just won’t….sit…..still. Ugh this is a disaster.”

On the countertop sat a Corsola sitting in a puddle of grime. The poor thing had been found washed up on the beach earlier that day, her growths badly discolored and and shriveled due to the dirty condition of the water it had been living in. The children had brought her back and attempted to clean him but found that to be a more than difficult task.

“She sure seems ta dislike us.”

“Can you blame her? The way she was living, some stupid people probably dumped garbage into that lake. Corsola need clean water to survive, she could probably tell that something was wrong and tried to leave. It’s no wonder she must hate humans.”

“Well we got enough offa her ta keep her healthy for now. Let’s give her some food and mark her for release. There’s a clean stream a little ways from here, we can put her back there.”

They wiped their hands of the grime and changed their lab coats. It had been a long day.

“So Spark….”

“Hm?”

“Um…..how are you liking it here so far?”

“Heh. Getting cold feet Candela? That’s not like ya.”

“No! Nothing like that. It’s already been a year and I’m having a lot of fun here! A place where i can finally be with pokemon of all kinds, where i can hold them and get to know them and, you know, connect with them the way i always wanted. It’s just……how do i say this?

“I feel like we aren’t doing as much as we could be. Not to mention, I feel like there’s only so much we are capable of doing with just the four of us

“Like hooray, today we saved a Corsola. Great. Tomorrow we might have to groom a Houndour or measure the acidity of a Muk or whatever else Willow asks us to do. Also great. But what are we really accomplishing?

“There’s always going to be something new to do but at the rate we’re going i don’t think we’re gonna make any of the big advancements we all hoped to make when we signed up for this mentorship. There’s just...way too much to discover and way too much to learn but so much of it requires time and energy on repetitive tasks that sometimes it can feel a little……fruitless? I mean look at Willow. The whole reason he brought us in as assistants is because he hoped we would be able to pick up where he left off, but what if we won’t ever be able to?”

Spark scratched his chin. The makings of a tiny goatee had begun to form there. “Yeah I see what ya mean. Without all of the middleman work I think we coulda made some incredible discoveries by now. If only there was a way ta cut it out entirely. Eh, but someone’s gotta do it.”

Candela pondered. “Yeah…...Someone…….”

A loud crash sounded out behind them.

Candela looked at Spark in horror. “Spark, you put the Corsola in a clean tank so we could transport her right?”

“I thought you did!”

The distinct sound of crackling rocks echoed from the lab.

Spark’s eyes widened. “That’s not……Power Gem is it?”

“Oh  _ hel- _ ”


	3. My Valor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candela shows Blanche her plan

Blanche glanced at the piece of paper that had been placed on her desk.

“What’s this?”

Candela flashed that big goofy smile Blanche had become accustomed to seeing.

“It’s my new plan for our mentorship! What do you think?”

Blanche slipped on her reading glasses and begun reading. After a few seconds she put down the paper and rested her chin on her fist.

“Well?”

“You want to make...teams.”

“Yes!”

Blanche leaned back in her chair. “You want to lead a group of essentially grunt workers to go out and do the fieldwork while the three of us sit cooped up all safe in here doing the research.”

Candela frowned. “What I want, you snobby snoot, is to actually make some progress. You can’t tell me that you’re not exhausted.”

“I can, my dear Candela, because I knew full well it came with the job. We’re training to be Pokemon researchers. To learn about pokemon, we have to deal with pokemon up close and personal. That means dirty work.”

Candela put her hands on the desk. “But what if we didn’t have to? What if we had an entire community of people who wanted to help contribute to our research by cutting out all of that fieldwork? You know as well as I do that there are people way better suited to that aspect of the job than we are, not to mention that actively make a living out of it too. What if we put those skills to good use?”

Blanche shook her head. “Candela I’m not signing this.”

“But  _ Why? _ ”

“For starters, even if we could find some big group of people willing to work for us, do you know how much extra  _ work _ it’s going to be managing and organizing a large group of people like this? Maybe even more than the fieldwork in all honesty.”

“Don’t worry that part is all figured out! Spark has begun development of a program that will help deal with organizing and initiating the members of our community into our project! It will streamline the pokemon and data transferring process while helping reward players who do well with incentives and goals and such! We’ll even promote friendly competition between our teams for dominance, to get the optimal results! There’s no reason for us not to do this!”

Blanche’s patience reached its limit. “Have you considered that maybe I just don’t WANT TO?”

Candela was taken aback by the outburst. “Blanche……”

She looked away. “Candela this just…… it isn’t my thing ok? You wouldn’t understand.”

Candela crossed her arms and smiled. “Try me.”

Blanche stared daggers at her. “I don’t have to justify myself for this. And you sure as hell can’t do this without me.”

“That a threat Blanche?”

“It’s a warning. You’re encroaching on dangerous waters.”

“Consider putting your money where your mouth is.”

“What’s that mean?”

“You. Me. The training room in ten minutes. 3v3. We’ll see just how dangerous you can be.”

Blanche gripped her armrests “You can’t be serious.”

“Deadass.”

“You know you’ll never beat my water team right? You’re at a disadvantage.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

Blanche stood up. “All right then. You’re on. And if I win?”

“I’ll take your field shift for a year.”

“For the rest of the mentorship”

“You’re on”

Blanche shook her head in dismay as she held out her hand. “You’re absolutely insane, you know that right?”

Candela smiled and shook her hand. “Guess you could call it my valor.”


	4. Golduck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for the future of their careers starts now!

Spark flicked the switch. The dim lights flickered on in the training room. 

“Ya know this is like the first time we’ve ever like, actually used this place.”

Candela stretched her arms “And what a way to initiate it! With a fantastic battle for the future of our mentorship!”

Blanche rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna get steamrolled, you know that right?”

Candela smirked. “We’ll see about that.”

The two girls walked to either side of the battlefield. Spark, who had agreed to ref, stood at the center against the wall.

“Rules are standard. 3v3, single battle. Whoever knocks out all three of the other’s pokemon wins.”

Candela nodded and unclipped her first pokeball. “I’m ready”

Blanche followed suit. “Same.”

Spark held up his hand. “Then let the match……BEGIN!”

Blanche’s ball was first to hit the ground. “GOLDUCK!”

“NINETALES!”

“Hydro Pump!”

“Feint Attack!”

Ninetales darted forward with no hesitation. Golduck attempted to dodge its initial strike, only to be caught off guard as the fox dove to the side and swiped at his face with claws, leaving a scratch. Golduck roared and fired a volley of water at Ninetales, knocking her back.

Candela gritted her teeth.  _ That’s gotta sting. Not holding back are you Blanche? _

“Ninetales, use Solar Beam!”

Ninetales knelt down as the light energy in the room began to collect around it.

Candela smiled. “That’s it! Hit it with everything you’ve got!”

Blanche shook her head. “Hydro Pump!”

Golduck once again fired onto the Ninetales, knocking it out.

Spark held up his hand. “First to get K’Oed, Ninetales!”

Candela stepped back in shock. “N-No! That’s not right! My Ninetales’s hidden ability Drought meant that Solar Beam should have fired in one turn!”

Blanche sneered. “Indeed it would have, my dear Candela, if it weren’t for my Golduck’s ability Cloud Nine! He negates the effects of weather conditions, though the condition still remains. I applaud you for starting out with Ninetales. You hoped to even the playing field early on with its ability. But i’m two steps ahead of you! You’ll never beat me!”

Candela grumbled. “Ninetales, return! Go, Flareon! Flamethrower!”

“An all out assault? Please. Ice Beam!”

Golduck fired a beam of ice, catching the Flareon at the legs and pinning it down.

“Frozen! Your Flareon is a sitting duck! Psychic!”

Golduck charged its psychic energy and launched it at its foe. The Flareon screamed in pain as it was flung against the wall.

“Had enough yet Candela? Your Flareon is almost done for.”

Candela wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled. “Far from it.”

The little fox rose to its feet and growled angrily as the ice on its limbs crumbled off.

“You may think you’re winning, but all you’ve done is pissed him off. My Flareon’s ability is Guts, meaning that its attack is increased for as long as it has a status condition. And that includes being frozen.”

“That won’t save him when he’s already half dead! Golduck, finish it off with a Hydro Pump!”

Golduck fired again, but this time the Flareon dove to the side and narrowly avoided the attack

“Flareon, use Fire Fang!”

The Flareon dashed forward and delivered a painful bite to the Golduck, at the same time badly burning it and knocking it out.

Spark raised his hand. “Golduck is out of the fight!”

Candela smiled as the the faux sunlight warmed her skin. “And with that, Cloud Nine is disabled and your duck is cooked!”

Blanche recalled Golduck and smiled. “Impressive. But the sunlight won’t last much longer. Can you beat me before then?”

“Let’s find out”

“Go, Vaporeon! Aqua Tail!”

“Flareon, use Fire Fang!”

The two pokemon clashed in midair. The Flareon was the first to strike, getting in a good bite and inflicting a bad burn on the Vaporeon’s scaly skin before being struck by its watery tail and being knocked out.

Spark raised his hand. “Flareon is-”

“We get it, Spark.” said Candela.

Spark lowered his hand in shame. “Oksorryjustdoinmyjob,” he mumbled.


	5. Lapras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fierce battle between Candela and Blanche reaches its stunning conclusion!

“Flareon, come back. Go Magcargo!”

Blanche grinned nostalgically. “That wouldn’t happen to be...”

Candela nodded. “The very same Slugma. As you can see he’s all grown up now.”

“Guess that makes one of you.”

“Heat Wave!”

“Water Pulse!”

The Vaporeon stomped its foot as a pulsing wave of water emanated from it and washed over the Magcargo, pushing it back slightly. The Magcargo roared and attempted to attack but proceeded to fall flat on its face the second it stepped forward.

Candela groaned. “You’re kidding me. It’s Confused?”

“Now follow it up with an Aqua Tail! Aim for his weak spot, that shell!”

Dashing towards the stumbling snail, the Vaporeon lept in the air gracefully and whacked the Magcargo on its brittle rock shell, shattering it to pieces. 

Blanche laughed. “Useless, Useless, Useless!”

“Not quite Blanche.”

“Hm?”

The Magcargo slowly rose to its feet

“Heat Wave!”

“Water Gun!”

Before Vaporeon could even blink, Magcargo fired a breath of flames right into its face, burning it and knocking it out.

Candela jumped for joy. “A critical hit! Hell yes!”

Blanche gaped in horror. “What…what was that speed? Your stupid snail couldn’t move that fast before!”

Candela nodded. “Exactly. His hidden ability is his Weak Armor. Whenever Magcargo gets hit by a physical attack, his defense drops, but his speed shoots up. You’ve lifted a great burden off his back by aiming for his shell.”

“Grr. Vaporeon come back. I’m done playing around Candela. I had hoped not to go this far but I am not. Signing. That. Plan! Go, Lapras!”

Lapras landed with a thud on the battlefield and roared at Magcargo, who slid back in shock.

Candela gaped. “Wh...Where’d you find  _ that? _ You never told us you had a Lapras!”

Blanche smirked “There’s a lot I haven’t told you Candela. Lapras, use Dragon Pulse!”

Lapras opened its mouth and released a shockwave that smashed Magcargo against the wall.

“Magcargo, use Ember!”

Magcargo slid off the wall and began firing small firebolts at Lapras, which harmlessly bounced off its tough shell armor.

“Absolutely pathetic. Lapras, use Ice Beam! Freeze that stupid snail in place!”

Lapras fired a beam of ice at Magcargo. Ice creeped formed around its feet and creeped up its body. As quickly as it formed however, it crumbled off and melted away

Blanche sneered. “Magma Armor. I should have guessed. It can’t be frozen. But no matter. My water and dragon attacks will be enough to finish it off.”

“You’re forgetting something Blanche!”

Blanche’s countenance changed for a split second. “Impossible. What could that be?”

“Magcargo, use Stone Edge!”

Magcargo’s body began to glow as several large, sharp rocks began to peel off its body before firing off in unison. They struk Lapras’s underbelly, knocking it back and making it cry out in pain.

“Magcargo isn’t just fire type, he’s also rock type! And his rock attacks are just the ace in the hole i need for an ice type like Lapras!”

“So, then we both have an advantage, hm?” 

“Sound familiar?”

“Shut it. I’m not letting you distract me.”

“You’re enjoying this. I know you are. You act aloof but this? This is the real you. You’ve always been the most competitive of us, so I just don’t understand why you’d turn this down!”

“You think you have me figured out? You never understood me! Lapras use Hydro Pump!”

“Magcargo use Rock Throw!”

Lapras fired a volley of water at Magcargo, who dashed to the side, barely avoiding the attack as a crackling sound filled the air. The rocky shell of the Magcargo had reformed. Without hesitation it flung the small boulder at Lapras. It smashed against its armor, staggering it. 

“This plan means everything to me Candela. As much as I want to do it, it will only mean something if your heart's in it too.”

“STOP TALKING!!”

“I’m doing this not just for me, but for you too! You’re doubting yourself, aren’t you? You think you can’t lead people. You think you aren’t qualified!”

“I…...LAPRAS USE-”

“Magcargo use Heat Wave!”

Magcargo darted in. Its jowls flailed as it spewed flames from its mouth, leaving a burn on Lapras’s flipper.

“Aaaargh!” 

Lapras whirled its head in concern at Blanche’s outcry. She was gripping her head in frustration.

“What…..is wrong with me? What is happening to my form and precision?”

Candela faltered for a second.

“Blanche…...it’s ok to be nervous or scared to do something like this. I’m nervous too.”

“That…..It’s not like…...”

“But you won’t be alone. You won't ever be alone. We’ll do this together. We’ll be there for each other, supporting one another the whole way through. We might have different ideas, we might have different philosophies, but we all want the same thing, and there’s hundreds, maybe thousands of of people out there who want that too. They’re all going to support you. This will be as much an experience for you as it is for them.”

“I don’t……...Candela I can’t do this. I’m not the person for this.”

“Yes you are. We believe in you.”

“I…….do you mean that?”

“Of course I do. We’ve always had our differences but at the end of the day you’re my best friend and my partner. I have full faith that you’ll be able to do this.”

Blanche clenched her fist.

“If you really think i can…..I guess………...I guess it can’t hurt giving it a shot.”

Candela smiled. “That’s what i was hoping for”

Blanche lifted her head. “But don’t talk as if you’ve one yet. One last all out assault to end this.”

Candela nodded. “Are you ready?”

“Lapras use Blizzard!”

“Magcargo use Overheat!”

Lapras reared its head back with a mighty roar. The warmth of the sunlight was instantly replaced with a chill as Lapras opened its mouth and released a powerful gust of icy wind and hail that blew Blanche’s cloak backwards. At the opposite end of the room, Magcargo’s entire body began glowing bright red. Sweat dripped down Candela’s cheek but she didnt notice. Magcargos eyes burned and it fired a torrent of white hot flames that barreled across the room. 

The two attacks collided in the middle with a fantastic explosion of ice and fire. A thunderous boom echoed through the room as if Arceus himself had descended from the heavens, and the room shook violently as dust sprinkled from the ceiling and walls. The trainers held their hands to their face as if to shield themselves from the fury they had just unleashed on each other.

Slowly everything settled. The three trainers wiped their faces and blinked as the icy mist and blistering smoke began to fade away. A pair of silhouettes was the first thing to meet their eyes, one on the ground and the other upright, though clearly fatigued. Eventually their vision became clearer and-

Spark raised his hand. “Lapras is knocked out! Magcargo has won, giving Candela the victory!”

The two trainers returned their pokemon to their balls and walked to the center.

Blanche sighed. “I suppose you can gloat now.”

“What would the point be? In my eyes it’s as much your victory as it is mine.”

“You gambled everything on that move. You knew it would’ve reduced Magcargo’s special attack, but you went for it anyway.”

“Just like I’m gambling everything on you. I believe in you.”

“You’re a dumbass”

“And you’re still a mystery to me.” Candela put out her hand

Blanche smirked. “Mystical. Just the way i like it.” She shook her hand


	6. Rattata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance encounter, or something more?

Rustles in the bushes. Shadows darted across trees in the pale light of the moon. Scuttles of small feet across the dirt and grass being parted as a small figure dashed through the forest with purpose and intent. As it raced up a tree and came to a stop on a thick branch, a ray of moonlight peeked through the foliage and fell on it.

It was a Pokemon. A Rattata, to be precise. It stood on its hind legs as it caught its breath. It relaxed its body for just a second before its ears perked up. It began sniffing the air as its fearful eyes darted in every direction. Slowly it began scaling the branches, ascending the tree carefully. As it moved the branches around, moonlight spilled onto sections of the bark, revealing deep gashes in the wood that appeared to be chew marks.

Eventually the Rattata reached its destination: a small hole carved out in the bark of the tree, where it had laid claim its home. It wasn’t much, but by Rattata standards it was paradise. 

The Rattata never felt more at home than in his favorite hidey-hole. Yet for some reason it found it couldn’t relax. Even after finally reaching the end of its perilous journey, it seemed it couldn’t shake the persistent sense of danger that loomed over it. It was probably being paranoid, but in the harsh environment it lived in? One could never be too careful.

The small purple rodent did a quick scan of the surrounding area before getting nestled into its little nest of dead leaves and grass. With nothing left to wait for, it popped out the hot prize it had been keeping safe in its cheek. It was the catch of a lifetime, a fat juicy Razz Berry. Not just any old Razz Berry either, but a Golden one. Virtually unmarred, it lay there ripe and enormous in the Rattata’s tiny paws.

The Rattata’s mouth began to water as it stared down its prey. It certainly hadn’t been expecting to find such an incredibly rare berry, but as it happened a careless trainer had left their bag unattended by the side of a bench that day. After making sure he had his back turned, the Rattata had dashed towards his backpack to see what he could find. Experience with robbing trainers had taught the little thief to seek out the berry pocket first, and lo and behold, there it was. The poor trainer never even knew he was there, in and out like a bandit with its precious cargo stored in its cheek.

Maybe it was just the nature of its package and its importance, but the route back to its home had seemed especially treacherous today. A venomous Ekans had been waiting in a bush that the Rattata normally used as a shortcut every day, forcing it to have to change its route permanently. Not to mention the ride here hadn’t been kind to the berry either. One of its juicy bulbs had burst in the Rattata’s mouth. The spicy sweet honeycrisp taste of the drops of juice had only served to motivate it to get home faster however, and now that it was finally here it was ready at last to indulge in its meal.

As it dipped the berry in a small puddle of water in the corner to wash it, the Rattata’s ears suddenly perked up again. There it was. That awful foreboding presence that seemed to pierce the night and make the poor rodent feel on edge.

Slowly it put the berry down. Whatever that presence was, there was no way he could eat his meal in peace while it was there. It reached down and picked up a pebble with its grubby paws and, after a moment of silence, flung it out of the hole with a flick of its wrist.

Instantly there was a rustle of the branches nearby as the distinctive  _ whoosh _ of something fast and agile dashing by the entrance of the burrow. A distinctive  _ chk _ sound as something struck the branch in front of the hole, followed by a second rustle in the tree nearby.

The Rattata’s heart pounded. What on  _ Earth _ was that? Whatever it was it was definitely alive, and almost certainly dangerous. The Rattata reached down and picked up a second stone and flung it out into the night in the same manner. Almost immediately the same thing happened, only this time the impact on the branch was even louder and more distinctive. It almost sounded like…..claws?

The Rattata threw one more stone. This time, the Rattata’s heart nearly stopped as there was a loud echoing of leaves rustling and branches being whacked that seemed to tumble downwards through the foliage. 

The Rattata had to squint into the darkness but he could see what happened. Out of the bark of the tree where the branch that led to the front door of the Rattata’s home, now there was only a smallish protrusion of wood with a jagged edge..

The entire branch of the tree had been shorn off, and as it had fallen it had taken with it the chance of the Rattata escaping. 

The small rodent backed up to the edge of the hole in horror, as the gravity of the situation became clear.

Suddenly there was a loud thump, and the burrow was dark. the moonlight from the outside had been snuffed out in an instant.

Something had landed on the remaining protrusion of the branch, and was now standing in front of the Rattata’s house, blocking the only exit.

The Rattata slowly looked up as its eyes began to adjust to the darkness. Shapes began to become clear. A hunched over body. A large round head with whiskers poking out the sides. Large bulbous eyes that stared down the rodent. A single large golden coin embedded in the forehead.

It was a Meowth. It had been following its prey for a while now, after the rat had chanced into the feline’s territory while taking a new route. Now it finally had it trapped and ready to tear to pieces.

Slowly the Meowth began to raise its behind as it got ready to strike. One pounce, that’s all it would take to snuff out its tiny life. There was nothing the Rattata could do to save itself.

As the Meowth’s eyes sized up the rat, it noticed something to its side. Something….shiny.

It’s eyes began to drift towards the source of the glimmer. It was a fresh Golden Razz Berry, ripe and glistening in the smallest pockets of moonlight. The Meowth knew it should focus on its prey, but there was………...just something……..about that shiny berry that looked so…….enticing. The perfect shean, the gorgeous gleam of the juicy pulp, the glow of…….wait…...glow……..that wasn’t right……..the berry wasn’t glowing.

The Meowth’s attention snapped back to the Rattata as it realized that in its moment of distraction, the rat’s sharp fangs had began shining brightly. Before the Meowth could react, the Rattata darted forward with impossible speed and sank its teeth into the shoulder of the Meowth.

Hisses ensued as the cat jumped up and instinctively shook the rodent off. The Rattata slammed into the wall of the hole but quickly regained its footing. The powerful bite had caused the Meowth to move its head to nurse its wounds, leaving a small opening in the entrance to the hole. The Rattata had but one chance. It darted forward and jumped through the gap. 

But the Meowth hadn’t missed the movement of its prey. The Rattata just cleared the gap when it felt a sharp pain in its right eye. The Meowth had struck out with its paw and clawed viciously across its face. Squeaking in pain, the Rattata was flung off course by the momentum of the strike. It tumbled into the foliage before clinging on to a nearby branch and scampering off into the night.

The Meowth hissed in anger. Its dinner had escaped, and to top it off it now had a painful gash in its shoulder. It turned its head back towards the hole. At least it wasn’t a complete loss. It now had a delicious Golden Razz Berry that the rat had left behind. It wouldn’t be the same as a delicious Rattata, but it would be something at least. As the Meowth settled into the hole and began devouring the berry, it contemplated the Rattata for a second. Quite a brave specimen that was, and surely determined as well. But it only thought about it for a second, before the thought left its mind. After all, there wasn’t a chance it would even see it again, right?


End file.
